Can Von Miller burnish his legacy by main the Buffalo Payments to their first Tremendous Bowl?

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — There is a voice in Von Miller‘s head in the course of the large moments. On the finish of video games, when his group wants a play and all the pieces is on the road.

Up by 3 with 1:25 left in Tremendous Bowl LVI final February, the Los Angeles Rams protection wanted a cease. All recreation lengthy, Miller — then a Rams exterior linebacker — had been setting the Cincinnati Bengals up to make use of his ghost transfer within the go rush.

Lastly, it was time to unleash it.

“You are able to do it. You’re a professional. That is what you had been made for,” Miller likes to inform himself.

“It is that voice in your head. I wish to do all the pieces I probably can to place myself in a superb state of affairs,” Miller mentioned. “It is all constructive discuss trigger I’ve completed all the pieces I probably might do to achieve success.”

Miller and defensive sort out Aaron Donald mixed for 4 sacks and 11 QB pressures within the Tremendous Bowl victory. Miller, who tied Charles Haley for essentially the most profession sacks in Tremendous Bowl historical past (4.5), thrived within the postseason when Los Angeles wanted him most — his postseason go rush win fee of 41.5% was the very best by a participant in a single postseason (with a minimal of 30 go rush performs) since ESPN began monitoring that metric in 2017.

The Rams wished to convey Miller again this offseason, and to pay attention as Miller describes his time with the Rams is to marvel why he did not re-sign. Not solely was the on-field manufacturing with Donald worthwhile, however Miller mentioned that he was rejuvenated by Los Angeles, a metropolis that displays his shiny character.

“I used to be taking part in with probably the greatest defensive gamers that ever performed within the recreation [in Donald], and I have a look at myself as probably the greatest defensive gamers within the recreation,” Miller mentioned. “And I used to be introduced there for a function to go there and win a Tremendous Bowl.”

However there’s the ultra-competitive a part of him, too. When Miller was on the telephone on March 16 together with his long-time agent, Joby Branion of Vanguard Sports activities, and his dad, Von Miller Sr., discussing the large choice of whether or not to affix the Buffalo Bills as a free agent — his first large choice since deciding to go to Texas A&M, they reminded him — his dad mentioned Von had an opportunity with the Payments to do one thing no different participant in NFL historical past has completed: play in and win three Tremendous Bowl with three totally different franchises. He might additionally assist convey a long-awaited first title to Buffalo, on a group that already has a high protection and a franchise quarterback. The Payments tackle Miller’s former Rams group on Thursday’s NFL season opener (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC).

“I wasn’t content material the place I used to be at, I nonetheless wished extra,” Miller mentioned. “This group desires a Tremendous Bowl. It is a win-win for either side and I simply wish to be part of one thing particular.”

The Payments signed Miller to a six-year, $120 million contract, making an uncharacteristic splash in free company to search out the lacking piece who can get them over the hump after falling wanting their objective the final two seasons, shedding to the Kansas City Chiefs each occasions. The Payments want a playoff-tested veteran who can lead and make well timed performs on the sphere, however additionally they want a instructor who can elevate his teammates off it — and that is what they’ve in Miller.

With a lot driving on the pairing working for either side, the stress for Miller and the group to lastly put collectively that full season could not be larger.

SUPER BOWL CONTENDERS have a couple of key elements. The Payments took care of the franchise quarterback by drafting Josh Allen in 2018. He is the primary quarterback in NFL historical past to have at the very least 100 passing touchdowns and 30 speeding touchdowns in his first 4 seasons.

As basic supervisor Brandon Beane’s group constructing continued, he tried to maintain the opposite areas that had been missing, together with the offensive line (extending Professional Bowl left sort out Dion Dawkins) and the large receiver core (buying and selling for Professional Bowler Stefon Diggs), however the go rush remained a problem regardless of heavy funding by way of the draft.

The Payments used high draft picks on pass-rushers Greg Rousseau (Rd. 1, 2021), AJ Epenesa (Rd. 2, 2020) and Boogie Basham (Rd. 2, 2021) over the previous two years, however have gotten 9 sacks complete from the three. And final season’s high pass-rusher, Mario Addison (seven sacks), is now with the Houston Texans. No Invoice has completed a season with double-digit sacks since Lorenzo Alexander (12.5) in 2016.

It wasn’t that the Payments had been unhealthy on the line of scrimmage — from 2017-21, Buffalo ranked fifth in go rush win fee (47.8%) — it was finishing the play that was the issue. Throughout that stretch, the group was tied for twentieth in sacks (187) with the Titans.

That was evident because the Payments misplaced within the playoffs in back-to-back seasons in opposition to the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, partly attributable to an incapability to stress quarterback Patrick Mahomes persistently when it mattered most (contacted on a mixed 16.7% of throws).

In Miller, the Payments obtained a participant who can affect the result of video games immediately and power groups to account for him. Since 2017, the Payments are twenty second in fourth-quarter sacks (52).

Miller has essentially the most fourth-quarter sacks within the common and postseason since 2011 (51).

“He is a type of guys who can shut the sport out,” defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier mentioned. “And we have had some good rushers right here and we performed some good protection, however to have the ability to have a man within the fourth quarter, when the sport’s on the road, who can give you that large play, that is gonna be enormous for us.”

Miller can be the one participant on the Payments roster to have a Tremendous Bowl ring. He brings big-game expertise, however he is additionally been a mentor to these youthful pass-rushers who’ve but to develop.

“I am an open e book and I’ll power a few of my chapters on them,” Miller mentioned of Payments’ youthful gamers. “I’ll power a number of the stuff I do know on them. It is simply little issues.”

Throughout practices, Miller usually explains why and the way he does sure strikes after which extends that dialogue within the assembly rooms. “I advised him one time that I wished to work on my rush angle, and I wished to work on this,” Epenesa mentioned. “We get to the movie room a pair hours later and he sees that I used to be engaged on my rush angle in observe. And he turns and goes, ‘AJ, that was a extremely good rush angle proper there.’ … Having him there after which to not essentially confirm it, however to love, assist educate issues as properly and assist give his opinion.”

Distinguished former Payments had been lobbying for a difference-making defender like Miller. Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame defensive finish Bruce Smith, who performed 19 seasons together with 15 for Buffalo, had been pounding the desk — to GM Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott and the group’s house owners, Terry and Kim Pegula — so as to add a dynamic pass-rusher who might change the result of those essential video games.

“I have been saying that for years. For years,” Smith mentioned. “And, even within the textual content chain that I’ve with my teammates, Jim Kelly, Thurman [Thomas] and Cornelius Bennett and Darryl Talley, and Steve Tasker, and a number of the others, that is the very first thing I convey up they usually echo the identical factor. We want that man.”

At 33 years outdated, Miller nonetheless believes he has loads of productive years forward of him. He is relied on pace and explosiveness, not his energy, to win on the line of scrimmage, which ought to assist delay his profession. Of the highest 21 all-time sack leaders, 15 have seen a lower of their sack manufacturing from 33 and up. However Chuck Smith, a pass-rush coach and mentor who has recognized Miller for nearly a decade, is not involved.

“M-O-V-E-S. Strikes. He is obtained strikes, they usually work in a 5-yard space,” Smith mentioned. “He would not must run a 4.2. He would not must be robust; he would not must be the largest man on the planet. The key to Von Miller is he is obtained high-performance pass-rush strikes.”

FOR MILLER, BEING named one of many Payments’ 4 defensive captains in his first yr with the group was an enormous deal. Regardless of not being at each OTA or being with the group lengthy, he was making an affect. “Truthfully, persons are gonna say what they wanna say, however I actually do worth what my teammates say about me after I’m not round, and I worth what my opponents say about me after I’m not round,” Miller mentioned. “Folks that I am going in opposition to, the those that I work with, I worth their opinion. I care about what they are saying about me and my profession and my legacy.”

Many gamers have greater than three Tremendous Bowl rings, and there are two gamers with three rings from three franchises however who did not play in all of the video games — linebacker Matt Millen and working again Kenjon Barner.

Millen mentioned that to him, three rings with three franchises is “meaningless.” For Miller, turning into the primary is about his legacy, what folks assume after they hear, “Von Miller.”

“How he’ll be remembered and what folks say about him, what persons are saying about him when he isn’t round, that is necessary to him,” Tony Jerod-Eddie, Miller’s longtime pal mentioned.

Von’s Imaginative and prescient, his basis that helps low-income college students obtain eye care, is a part of that legacy. So is his son, Valor — Miller’s first baby — who was born over a yr in the past. Nevertheless it’s necessary to Miller that his son is happy with his dad when he grows up.

“That is one of many largest issues about me and my retirement. I simply wanna get to some extent the place he might bear in mind,” Miller mentioned. “I am gonna maintain taking part in till God says the identical or God says no or no matter it takes. However in my view, if I had my approach, I’d play to some extent the place my children bear in mind me taking part in. They may come to the ability, they usually know my teammates and the coaches. After which I can wrap it up.”